Quebec English-language school boards are warning that the proposed expansion of Bill 101 to vocational and adult education could dramatically reshape English-language education in the province, with one association estimating schools could lose up to 70 per cent of their students.
The criticisms come after Quebec French Language Minister Jean‑François Roberge said earlier this month that the CAQ government intends to extend French-language restrictions to education programs currently exempt from Bill 101.
Speaking during budget hearings at the National Assembly on May 12, Roberge said the current system allows thousands of non-eligible students to study English despite not “having the right” to enroll in English elementary or secondary education under Quebec law.
“General adult education and vocational training? Nothing, no measures, no concerns, no constraints,” the minister said. “Something has to be done.”
Roberge said roughly 27,000 students currently enrolled in English-language vocational and adult education programs could instead be siphoned into the French system if the measure becomes law. The cohort is composed of students who are not considered “historic anglophones.”
“These are not students that would have the right to attend an English-language elementary or secondary school, but who, in adult general education and vocational training, attend the anglophone system because there are no specific rules governing this,” Roberge said.
Right now, Bill 101 does not apply to vocational training or adult education programs.
The proposal has sparked alarm among English-language school boards, which say the move would hit both student access and school funding.
Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) vice-president Christopher Craig said the organization estimates English vocational programs could lose up to 70 per cent of their student population if Bill 101 is expanded.
“Their perception is that young people will navigate to the French sector when, in fact, if they hit a barrier or something that’s perceived to be as a barrier, they’ll just leave,” he said.
He added that many students in vocational education already speak multiple languages and choose English-language programs because of their reputation and accessibility.
“Instead of us getting extra technicians, extra auto mechanics, extra bricklayers, they’ll simply go somewhere else and not take the role,” he said. “Societally, it will impact everyone seriously.”
The concern is especially pronounced at the English Montreal School Board, where chair Joe Ortona said around 75 per cent of vocational students would be affected by the proposed restrictions.
Ortona said many of those students are immigrants waiting for access to French-language courses while also trying to enter the workforce quickly. He said limiting access to English vocational education could instead create longer wait times and labour shortages.
“We need people entering the workforce,” Ortona said. “If they’re just at home on a waiting list for French, they’re on a waiting list for their vocational training. We’re not helping them and we’re not helping Quebec society.”
School boards are also raising concerns about whether the French-language system is prepared to absorb an influx of 27,000 additional students.
“They don’t have the teachers for all of these new classes. They don’t have anything ready,” Ortona said. “The idea that 27,000 students are just going to migrate into the service centre system is just a fallacy.”
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The EMSB chair also warned the measure could significantly affect school board finances, since provincial funding is tied directly to enrolment numbers.
“If enrollment goes down, the financing goes down,” he said.
Craig echoed those concerns, saying it has taken years for English-language vocational centres to build their existing infrastructure.
“We just inaugurated a new centre in St-Hubert for auto mechanics and electric vehicle repair,” he said. “These projects take sometimes a decade to put in place.”
The proposal has also drawn the ire of anglophone advocacy groups.
TALQ president Eva Ludwig accused the CAQ government of relying on “identity politics” without presenting evidence the measure would improve the state of French in Quebec.
She also questioned whether enough consultation had taken place with education experts, businesses and labour sectors before floating the proposal.
“How will this help with the shortage in trades and industry workers?” she asked. “There are more questions than answers.”
Roberge has defended the proposal as a way to strengthen the use of French in Quebec workplaces, saying the CAQ government as a “duty to do something” as a “nationalist government.”
CityNews has contacted Roberge’s office for a comment.
Quebec said there would be a transition period if the legislation is adopted and confirmed work is underway to draft a bill.
But with the parliamentary session ending June 12, the timeline to introduce and pass legislation before the summer break is narrowing.
